The Whitney Museum of American Art will offer free admission to visitors aged 25 and under starting in December. The initiative will be funded by Whitney board members artist Julie Mehretu and longtime supporter Susan Hess. Mehretu donated $2.25 million to help the new “Free 25 and Under” program, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Over the last year, the Museum has taken several steps to expand access to its shows. Visitors under 18 have been able to visit for free for more than a decade. Then, starting in January 2024, the Whitney began providing free entry to all visitors from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Friday. The museum also offers free admission throughout the day on the second Sunday of each month. This has come at a time of rising prices elsewhere. In 2023, ticket cost was raised to $30 for adults and $24 for students and seniors, making it the most expensive museum in New York, on a par with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“You can’t have any conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion without providing access,” said Mehretu. “I did not have access to contemporary art museums as a young adult, and when I moved to New York, I was waiting tables—it was hard to access contemporary art and culture, as it’s hard for so many grad students and young people. If you really want to push the discourse and evolve the discourse, many more people need to have access to be able to participate, and this program is a step in the right direction—and we need more.”
Since launching these free admission days, over 200,000 people have visited for free in less than a year, with attendance during free hours doubling compared to paid hours. Visitors during these times are generally younger and more diverse, with the average age dropping by 10 years on Friday nights and over 60% of attendees identifying as BIPOC, according to the museum.
Additionally, more than half of those attending during these hours are first-time visitors, and 80% of visitors under 25 say that free admission is a critical factor in their decision to attend, according to the museum. “Since its founding the Whitney has been committed to supporting young and innovative artists, and we now hope to further support younger audiences, too, by addressing financial barriers that affect this group the most,” said Scott Rothkopf, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown director.
